Life is Short. Live it Well!

Yesterday I received the news that an old friend and mentor passed away. She was 66 years older. For a moment, sadness overwhelmed me. But only for a moment. It was hard to be completely sad when I knew just how passionately she lived her life.

Truth was, when I met her she’d just come back from being on leave. She’d battled cancer and was on her way back. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for the brightly colored scarf wrapped around her head, I would never have known. She was bright, vivid, and vivacious. She attacked life. She always had an ear for anyone who needed it. She played as hard as she worked, and she always made sure to recognize and acknowledge a job well done in an industry where criticism came more frequently than praise.

So how could I be sad? The party in heaven just got a little wilder. To honor her, I’m going to share a few songs that I feel exemplified the way she lived her life.

Bare Naked Ladies were one of her favorite bands. I remember carpooling together to Orlando and listening to their music the entire ride up, laughing and talking and generally enjoying each other’s company.

Remember the way I said she grabbed life? This song was more than a philosophy for her.

She marched to the beat of her own drummer and encouraged those around her to do the same…

And she was definitely always the life of the party (with a vial of Visine in her purse to cover up the red eye giveaway if we had to be up early the next morning).

Yeah, it goes without saying that I was honored to know her and I will cherish all the memories she left me with.